Illustrative image (Photo: Ly Son Marine Protected Area) Quang Ngai (VNA) - The Management Board of Ly Son MarineProtected Area (MPA) has proposed a gene protection programme for fiveendangered sea creatures,namely mummy fish, or sea cucumber(holothurian nobilis), abalone (haliotis sorenseni), tropical rock lobster(panulirus ornatus), maxima clam (tridacna maxima) and red seaweed (laurenciaintermedia), which havebeen over-fished in waters off the island.
Director of the Ly Son MPA Phung Dinh Toan said the area, 30km offthe coast ofcentral Quang Ngai province, was included in the area for designation as a GlobalGeo-Park by UNESCO.
He said the five species – listed as endangered species by InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – are threatened with extinction due tomass exploitation for seafood among fishermen in recent years.
The mass tourism boom and rapid development of concrete buildings andresorts in the islands over past decades also would result in damage andover-use of natural resources, seafood and fresh water sources, he added.
Toan said the fiveendangered species will be planned on strict protection in 2021-2025, and a list of 25 otherendangered sea creatures would be added in the coming decades.
In 2018, Quang Ngaiprovince allocated funds of 42 billion VND (1.8 million USD) to support ecosystem recovery and biodiversity supervision as wellas strengthening the protection of the Ly Son Marine Protected Area for the2018-2022 period.
The Ly Son MPA, one of 16 nationwide MPAs approved by the Prime Minister ina Master Plan, covers more than 7,900ha, including 7,113ha of seawater. It washome to 700 marine fauna species (coral reefs, fish, seaweed and crustaceans),of which 25 were endangered or in danger of extinction.
More than 400ha of land on the island had been seriously eroded by risingsea levels in the past 40 years.
The island, where 61 hotel and guest houses and 63 home-stay services weredeveloped in the past few decades, hosts around 2,000 tourists each day.
Ly Son island, knownas the Kingdom of Garlic in Vietnam,has around 22,000 inhabitants, of whom 73 percent make their living fromfarming garlic and spring onions, alongside fishing./.
Director of the Ly Son MPA Phung Dinh Toan said the area, 30km offthe coast ofcentral Quang Ngai province, was included in the area for designation as a GlobalGeo-Park by UNESCO.
He said the five species – listed as endangered species by InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – are threatened with extinction due tomass exploitation for seafood among fishermen in recent years.
The mass tourism boom and rapid development of concrete buildings andresorts in the islands over past decades also would result in damage andover-use of natural resources, seafood and fresh water sources, he added.
Toan said the fiveendangered species will be planned on strict protection in 2021-2025, and a list of 25 otherendangered sea creatures would be added in the coming decades.
In 2018, Quang Ngaiprovince allocated funds of 42 billion VND (1.8 million USD) to support ecosystem recovery and biodiversity supervision as wellas strengthening the protection of the Ly Son Marine Protected Area for the2018-2022 period.
The Ly Son MPA, one of 16 nationwide MPAs approved by the Prime Minister ina Master Plan, covers more than 7,900ha, including 7,113ha of seawater. It washome to 700 marine fauna species (coral reefs, fish, seaweed and crustaceans),of which 25 were endangered or in danger of extinction.
More than 400ha of land on the island had been seriously eroded by risingsea levels in the past 40 years.
The island, where 61 hotel and guest houses and 63 home-stay services weredeveloped in the past few decades, hosts around 2,000 tourists each day.
Ly Son island, knownas the Kingdom of Garlic in Vietnam,has around 22,000 inhabitants, of whom 73 percent make their living fromfarming garlic and spring onions, alongside fishing./.
VNA
